


Introducing Growth

by AnonyCat



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: F/M, Im trying my best, Mental Health Issues, My First AO3 Post, My First Fanfic, My First Work in This Fandom, Not Beta Read, Personal Growth, Post-Game(s), Sad with a Happy Ending, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Everything, Slow Romance, Slow To Update, Working Out My Feelings Through Fic, possible mentions of aeris
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-11-03 21:30:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17885552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonyCat/pseuds/AnonyCat
Summary: Yuffie has come a long way in her life. After all the work with her friends to keep Gaea from falling apart, she decided to go home for a couple years to learn the ropes of leadership from her father. Now, two years after whatever mess she helped clean up last time, she decides to attend one of the reunions she had to miss during her training. With her new introspection, she realized on her way there that she is no longer the fun, excitable person she had been before. Is that what they had liked about her? Will they dislike her now that she has toned herself down? And will she be able to build a new, mature friendship with Vincent now that she might just be a completely different person?(kind of a ventfic for me, lot of self doubt and explored inner thoughts from someone that was a wild child to a quiet, reserved adult. endgame yuffentine though)





	1. settling in?

She wasn’t sure how to start a conversation like this with Vincent. She had already done this with Tifa and Cloud, but she hadn’t worried about confronting anyone else like she did with him. The last time she had seen him was a WRO meeting, an attempt by Reeve to keep Midgar and everywhere else on Gaea from falling apart, where he said his standard few words and walked away, swishing his cape behind him. She rolled her eyes at him then and she could almost picture him doing the same at her now, while she paced in a room of Cloud and Tifa’s rebuilt Seventh Heaven/ weird delivery service? She realized just how much she hadn’t kept in touch with any of the team in the last two years. What had Tifa and Cloud actually been doing for work? Maybe she was becoming a bad friend?

It was difficult picturing how to approach him, especially when most of them probably wouldn’t think anything of her change in behavior, the maturity welling within her after Godo began letting her take the Wutain throne. A couple years at the throne made her into a smart and coy leader. She’d been so hyperactive, but she hadn’t given a second thought to the changes she went through. While her behavior when she was younger was an amazing way to lure people into a false sense of security for a classic ninja heist, she felt herself getting bored of the tactic as her adventures with her new band of eco-terrorist friends continued.

Either way, here she was reflecting when she knew that just pacing wasn’t going to do anything. She had a real opportunity to make a mature connection with Vincent and she didn’t want to squander it. She slowly halted at her door, carefully placing a nervous hand on the door knob. Maybe consulting Tifa, or even Cloud, on the matter wouldn’t be such a bad idea at all, they were bound to have a least a bit of insight to impart. She turned the knob and stepped out quickly, a sudden feeling of hopefulness welling in her throat at the possibility of receiving good advice from her friends.  
It, however, ended up quickly knocked out of her as she felt herself knocked back by a good friend on their way to their own room of the home.

“Oof-”, Yuffie let out, a sound of discomfort from falling back into the corner of the doorway.

“ Yuffie! Are you okay?” Red inquired urgently, leaning down slightly to meet her eyes, “I’m sorry for knocking you over! I've just been looking forward to seeing you all again!.” He tilted his head toward her, attempting to meet her eyes with his own.

She ducked back a bit, afraid of a flush appearing on her cheeks. She tried hard to keep herself from getting riled up like this, Godo would have scoffed if he’d seen her sweating and pacing. He probably would have also gotten an absolute kick out of seeing her run body first into another member of her planet saving brigade. She waited another second, deciding to swallow her pride and look up at Red, hoping the flush had faded.

“Oh… Hey, Red! I’m sorry for that! I’ve just felt a little… on edge about our big reunion this weekend. I’m just… really excited to see everyone again too!” She tried her best to pull on the energy she held in her years ago, looking for a Yuffie everyone was more acquainted with.

She didn’t realize just how difficult it would be to put that facade back on after a couple years stuck with her dad in Wutai, learning the ropes of royalty and propriety from the masters themselves. It was hard to describe herself now, more of a mix of loyalty and pride in her heritage as a Wutai native than anything. She left behind her wild energy to take up a more collected coyness to become what her citizens needed, attempting to leave behind the shell of a helpless little girl to become a woman who could masterfully manipulate anything out of the pockets of man, woman, or beast. It was difficult at first, but was a lesson that she needed to learn.  
She grabbed onto the doorway, using it as a bit of leverage to pull herself up, righting herself before Red and dusting herself off. “I hope you’ve been doing okay yourself. I here you guys have been bored like all get out at Cosmo Canyon now with the planet mostly at peace. I know the ambient wails of the planet must have been creepily comforting, but hopefully peace and quiet has been fine, too.”

He chuckled, she was relieved to feel a bit of normalcy return in that moment. She shouldn’t be worried about anyone this weekend. They were still all her friends and she was sure they would be glad to see the growth she had gone through. “I’m sure you’re feeling the same way in Wutai now that Shinra isn’t beating down your doors. Is it true you’ve taken over for your father?”

“Kinda, I’m still learning, but I’m starting to make decisions here and there that affect our people. It’s honestly been a pretty great experience for everyone.” She smiled, her head filled with thoughts of the smiles and kind wishes from her people.

“I’m glad the transition is going smoothly for you. I remember that it wasn’t exactly something you weren’t too keen on during our first adventure. It feel like you weren’t too keen on anything, but Wutai, though.”

“Puberty sucks.”

“I feel lucky to have bypassed most of the growing pains.”

“You're a lucky dog, Red.”

They both grinned. She was starting to feel a lot better about what could come of this weekend. It was easy to be afraid of people stumbling upon the changes you’ve undergone, but if she just learns to take it all slowly and talk things out then everything should be fine. Right?

“Are you just heading to your room then?” Yuffie turned her head to look further down the corridor, just an empty hall of doors before them. “Like, do you need any help getting settled in?”

“I would’ve brought a suitcase if I had known you wanted to help. Though, it might be a bit difficult to bring anything along without opposable thumbs.” He gave her a smirk and she flushed again. She wondered to herself if he had always been so sassy.

“Haha, yeah...” Maybe she should try her luck with a more humanoid friend. “So,uh, yeah…” She debated whether to dart back into her room and shut the door, but just decided to take a step around him. “... I’m gonna.. go… tell Tifa that we’re all good and squared away!” She felt real smooth. Maybe she’ll trip down the stairs or something to seem more like the eager kid her friends were used to. She rounded the corner and stopped at the first step, taking a chance to breathe now that she was out of the view of a friend. Maybe she was overthinking this whole thing. She should be this super leader femme fatale now that Godo had trained her, but she was feeling so… confused... when it came to being around her friends. Like, maybe it was wrong of her to change.

She tried to shake the thoughts before continuing down the stairs, but she felt so bad now that she seemed to strike upon how she felt. She reached the bottom of the stairs, which were tucked in the corner of the home Cloud and Tifa had built together. She saw Tifa, leaning over the counter, helping coordinate a new delivery Cloud would have to complete. She stood there for a bit, watching as Barret and Marlene walk in and greet her. Denzel seemed to creep out of an unseen corner of the entryway to drag Marlene on a new adventure, leaving Barret to stand at the counter, waiting for Tifa to finish writing down the details from a client.  
Tifa lit up when she looked up during the call and saw Barret waiting for her. She motioned him to a sitting area on the opposite side of room from where Yuffie stood. Barret disappeared around the other side of the counter, and Tifa, finishing up her scheduling, followed to speak with him.  
Yuffie figured that maybe this would be the right time to sneak out and go on a bit of a walk around Edge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been sitting on this fic for a while now. Trying to decide if it was worth putting out. It isn't finished, but I do hope to continue working on it and hopefully people like it
> 
> anyways. thank you for reading if you did and please leave comments.  
> im not very good at writing so im sorry if punctuation bothered you at all.
> 
> also will edit the chapter as necessary


	2. Paranoia

She ducked out as stealthily as she could, quickly trying to open the door without making any sound, but an entry bell pinged above her. She realized she must of tuned it out when watching Tifa work when Barret entered. She peeked back, Tifa glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow as Yuffie slipped through the front door. The door closed a little too loudly behind her, her accidental door slam making Yuffie feel completely off her ninja game.

She leaned against the door, letting herself take another long breath before deciding to head toward the Plaza. She took a long walk around, passing by new shops and food stalls. She smiled, watching children play and people laugh. It felt like when plants grow through concrete. Life finds a way to keep going and we, as the saviors of the planet, have to keep trying to lead people in the direction of progress. She felt like she was taking the things Reeve said during the WRO meetings a little too seriously. She couldn’t deny the importance of it, though. 

She sat down, perched on the edge of raised concrete at the base of the monument. She realized how nice it was to get lost in a crowd. She had spent the last two years recognized and in control of Wutai, building onwards and upwards, without much of a chance to relax. She had been working in a job where she hadn’t gotten a day off in two years and seeing that made her feel… upset, but fulfilled? She finally had the direct control she had wanted to help Wutai become something bigger and more wonderful without the dirty hands of Shrina trying to bleed it dry, but… maybe she was just lonely. After she got busier, her friends hadn’t tried to visit or call or text and sometimes it made leading feel very… empty at times. And then the guilt comes flooding in, like, “How can you be so unhappy when your people need you to lead and guide them?” or “Your friends are busy too and maybe the only reason you were in the group is because you weaseled your way in!”. 

She felt lonely and she realized that she had grown, but had also hardened.

She didn’t want this weekend to be sad. She didn’t want it to be about her feelings or her loneliness, but she couldn’t deny that it felt like the only reason that she was included was because she included herself. Maybe she should just go back to Wutai…

No. She already came this far. She already saw Red and talked to Tifa and Cloud. And disappearing now would just end up making her be the dramatic kid she used to be. But isn’t being what she had been when she was younger supposed to be a good thing? It least it was familiar to her friends. She stopped herself, seeing the spiral she was falling back into.

Maybe she just needed a nap? To shop? To eat? Any of those would be a welcome distraction, but she thought of Tifa and didn’t know if Tifa had planned to make something for all of her friends. She thought of Tifa’s cooking and just how much she missed a friendly meal like they had shared in the old days. They would sit around campfires and razz each other or talk about adventures they had together. And some nights she would look over at Vincent, sitting a bit away, but close enough to enjoy the jokes and familial feeling they would bring. He would smile the faintest smile, or let out the quietest chuckle if she had done something ridiculous. She would see those bright moments of his and felt a warm and fuzzy something, like she pulled off a miracle. 

She looked up across the plaza, letting people pass by as she looked on. Maybe this whole thing with Vincent wasn’t even a big deal. He honestly might not even show up. Maybe that would be for the better. She thought about all the maybe-annoying things she had done around him and felt embarrassed. She thought of all the maybe-annoying things she might have done to all the rest of her friends and it hurt. It hurt, but she had become used to that sinking feeling. She felt like she had a lot of thing to atone for that some people might not realize she needed to atone for. She was sinking again, wasn’t she?

It took a bit, but the thoughts drifted away in her head. They never left, but she could steady herself when her brain stopped working against her. She stood, deciding that maybe she should go back now. Maybe more friends had arrived. Maybe more friends would distract her from feeling bad.

She began her walk back to the Seventh Heaven, looking down, and hoping that it would prevent her from seeing something that might cause her to spiral again.

When she arrived, Cloud, with a helmet barely holding Chocobo poof down, was standing outside, adjusting his motorcycle kickstand. She hadn’t actually had a moment to talk to Cloud one-on-one since she got back and was really hoping to get some words in, but another cyclist pulled up beside him, distracting him and taking him into a conversation of their own. The other cyclist removed their helmet, revealing Shelke, now a second delivery driver for Cloud, underneath. They spoke quickly about completed orders, straightening out a to-do list before heading inside and probably up the stairs to map out the next group of deliveries. 

She hesitated. Maybe she shouldn’t go back in, but she couldn’t hide forever. Why did interacting with her friends seem to make her more flustered than interacting with literally anyone else! She kicked the dirt beneath her out of frustration. This was so stupid! She heard a chortle from behind her. She was gonna lose it in about a second. 

“What’s so funny, you jerk?!”, She whipped around, seeing the asshole himself, Cid, laughing at her outrage and his poor wife not too far behind him.

He was losing it, laughing like he hadn’t heard his favorite joke in years. She knew her frustration was incredibly entertaining, but it left her wanting to kick the stupid grin off his awful, dumb face. Her agitation, though, led to a great realization.

“Cid! You genious!”, she lit up in an instant, crossing any distance between him and wrapping him in a big hug. “You bring out the absolute worst in me! It’s just what I need to not overthink everything!”

He flicked off a small tear forming in the corner of his eye once his laughter subsided and softly chuckled to her, “ I don’t think you have an absolute best side, kid.”

She wrinkled her nose at his rude remark, “yeah, but at least I’m young and beautiful, you wrinkly old man!” She could see him preparing a retort, but Shera looped her arm around his and quickly pulled him to the entryway of the Bar.

Shera yelled back to her, “I’m sorry, Yuffie, but I gotta keep this guy in line so everyone has a good weekend.”

Seeing and hearing Shera’s response made her think about whether it was really even right to sacrifice Shera’s or Cid’s good time this weekend for just her to feel normal. Maybe no one will even notice her change. 

She wasn’t really being fair to everyone. She decided to go back in and take a nap. Maybe she’d feel better after a chance to rest. She opened the door, the doorbell chimed above her, drawing Tifa’s attention to her. Yuffie gave a small smile to Tifa who nodded back at her. Yuffie veered to the left of the counter, heading back upstairs and to her room, steps quick and light. She reached her door.

“Yuffie?”, Cloud, further down the hall of doors, yelling for her.

“Yeah?” She turned toward his base of operations a few door down to meet with him and Shelke. “Hey, what can I do for you guys?”

“Well, Cloud and I had been informed that you have, at least partially, have taken your role on the throne to Wutai, correct?” Shelke pointed to Wutai on a map set on a desk in the middle of the room. Yuffie raised a brow before Shelke beckoned with her hand to enter. Cloud closed the door after her and led her to a chair on the opposite side of the desk. 

“We called you in here because we’ve been getting some orders from people in Wutai and wanted to know if there was any kind of courier service there. You could say we’re considering expanding the business” ,Yuffie looked up at Cloud, he seemed so proud of his business growing. She thought it might have just started as something to keep him from being too distracted by what had happened in the past, but it seemed like he actually decided to stick with it and grow it into something. She was happy for him. She was also happy for Shelke. 

She hadn’t spent much time with Shelke, but liked her straightforwardness and respected her fighting prowess. If things had gone differently, maybe she would have recruited Shelke as a personal Wutain Empress Bodyguard. That could actually be back on the table, though.

“We’ve never really had a dedicated postal service, most of the goods we sell are obtained through traders, who also just happen to be willing to deliver messages. Not a lot of people really want to come all the way out to Wutai unless they want to vacation or something. I don’t do it too often, but in some situations I’ve had to coordinate things with Reeve if it’s really important.” She thought to herself for a moment. She honestly hoped they were genuinely interested in actually branching out to Wutai. She could see her friends more regularly and they’d see just how caught up she was in the town’s affairs. 

“As the heiress to the Wutai throne,” Shelke began once again. “It just makes sense to take advantage of the contact we have with you. We are, specifically, interested in knowing if there are any specific locations that we could either rent, or build on. We might even see if Cid is willing to work out a deal to airdrop goods in Wutai,” Shelke paused for a moment, turning her head to Cloud.

“These aren’t bad ideas, Cloud.” She leaned back to grab a small pad of paper and a pen from desk where a wired phone sat, surrounded by, what Yuffie assumed to be, whatever random items they didn’t want to forget about was thrown. “I will begin to record them. Perhaps we’ll find another diamond in the rough during the remainder of our pitch.”

Yuffie down at the map before the three of them, Wutai being merely one location circled in red with a question mark in the middle. She realized other locations, including what remained of Kalm, Rocket Town, Costa Del Sol, and even Cosmo Canyon had all been circled. There were also a number that were circled and crossed through, places like Junon, Nibelheim, and Icicle Inn had been deemed unfit for this delivery venture. “You seem to have put a lot of thought in this…” She took a moment to lean back in her seat, crossing her arms in front of her. “I mean, I see the other potential locations and the ones you’ve rejected. It would be great to establish it in Wutai, but aren’t there plenty of other locations to consider? What about Banora? Or even Gongaga?” She looked up at them both, raising an eyebrow.  
She studied them both, holding her position. Something about this whole thing seemed off. So they haven’t made a decision about Kalm? Well, it isn’t like it’s that far from Edge. Cloud could easily bike there and back like it was nothing. Rocket Town? It’s better than Nibelheim, especially with Cid practically being the mayor and considering Cloud and Tifa not wanting much of anything to do with their hometown, it’s understandable why they wouldn’t give it much additional thought. Cid is here, though, and he got back before I did and clearly they didn’t reach out to him if a question mark remained. Same with Cosmo Canyon. Red arrived shortly after she did, but-  
Her thoughts were cut short by Cloud, who gave a soft, genuine smile back to her. He seemed a little shocked, taken aback by, what seemed to be, Yuffie’s suspicion toward them.

“We’ve considered a lot of places, to be honest. We thought it might help out the people in Wutai since most business don’t exactly make house calls out there.” He leaned forward, placing elbows on the table, disregarding the slight displacement of the map below them. “Wutai just makes the most sense for us. No real competition, or even a service like it already in place…” He took a pause to look back at Shelke, both faces became totally expressionless. Yuffie wondered when they began coordinating this odd expression dance. They were meant to be perfect partners in crime. There is a show she’d watch. 

Both looked back at Yuffie with an eerie synchronicity, Shelke giving her an empty stare before picking up where Cloud left off at “... at least take some time to think about it. We really would like to work with you in the future on our expansion.” Shelke nodded to her once before continuing, “We both know you have a lot to deal with already and promise that we would try to make it as painless for you as possible.”

Yuffie returned the nod, “I’ll think about it. I’ll try to have an answer for you by the end of the day.” She moved back in her chair, giving her room to stand. She wondered if she should treat it like a business deal. Godo would be so proud. She decided to take it seriously and gave a small bow before moving towards the door. 

Cloud and Shelke didn’t know how to respond at first, but returned the gesture. Cloud stood and moved around the table to see her out, opening the door for her. Yuffie hadn’t said a word as she exited, trying to take the opportunity to escape into her room. Cloud had poked his head out the doorway to thank her, only to find an empty hall, a door further down slamming shut. 

Yuffie pressed her back against the door, listening for Cloud to sigh and close the door before she let out her own breath. She relaxed a bit, moving away from the door, passing by a small bathroom to her right, and finding the bed centered in the middle of the room. She was glad the rooms here ended up being like a lame hotel. She wanted to relax. Hotels were supposed to be the go to place for relaxing, but she just couldn’t let all of the tension wound in her completely out. 

How did she end up being so worried about how her friends saw her? She wondered if it was wrong to cave in and listen to Godo for once. At first, she just wanted to humor him a bit. His health slowly declining made her wonder how much longer she had left to give him a hard time. She went home after her last adventure with Vincent to see her father in a tight spot health-wise. Maybe she was the one slowly killing him with her ridiculous plots to save Wutai? Or was she worrying him to death with the crazy adventures Wutai’s only heiress went on?

She doesn’t know when the thoughts began, but that she kept getting stuck in them. It was like the darkness Vincent had saved her from kept crawling back in. She can’t blame it on that. That’s like saying it was Vincent’s fault and it definitely wasn’t. Maybe this was just something slowly building in the back of her mind during everything. 

She curled herself around a pillow, hoping that sleep would take her soon. Sleep was a good darkness. Vincent was a good darkness. She fell asleep to the memories of fighting with Vincent and the good times she had with her friends before Meteorfall. She fell asleep with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this. 
> 
> Sometimes you feel like your brain put you on a roller coaster that you can't stop or get off of.
> 
> Edit: I've decided to allow anonymous comments for the time being. Please try to keep it civil. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but that doesn't mean you have to be a dick about anything. 
> 
> anyways. let me know what you think.


	3. coaster

She hadn’t woken up so peacefully in a long time. She was stressed most morning, having to immediately hop to fixing whatever problem needed to be fixed in Wutai. She didn’t realize how overworked she just might be until that moment. The sun had descended, painting the sky in a beautiful wash of warmth. The warm colors peeked into the room, highlighting the simple curtains surrounding the window, touching over a chair peeking out from the corner nearest to the window, and settling just over the edge of the bed. She could feel warmth from the focused light slowly invigorating her. She just wanted to relax in perfect moments like this. 

She almost wanted to settle in for another nap, but her stomach had other plans. She had been a bit hungry earlier, but putting it off made her feel like she could literally eat anything. Instead turning her hungry toward a piece of furniture Cloud and Tifa had been kind enough to place in the room, she decided that just going downstairs to scavenge in the kitchen would be a better idea. She hadn’t given much thought to what she wore. She felt her clothes had been a bit misshapen on her body, likely from rolling around in her sleep. She realized she might want to change into something different, maybe more casual. 

She took a moment to sit up and look over the room, attempting to locate the bag she had brought with clothes. She, apparently, had just thrown it in the room and immediately had started pacing in worry about her friends. She felt a small pang of guilt in the back of her mind at her thinking over her actions earlier today. The guilt only grew when she thought about sneaking out and running into Cid, and she wasn’t sure if it was because of embarrassment or irritation at herself for acting so oddly around the people she was supposed to see as her best friends. 

She snapped herself out of the thoughts to search for her bag once more. She moved to the right side of the bed, removing the materia placed in her light armor and the accessory she wore and placed on the nightstand, placed next to the left side of the bed. She took out her phone and pulled a charger from the drawer in the nightstand to plug in and charge her phone. No reason to call anyone that might already be here. From there, she spotted her bag on the desk, next to the chair and by the window. She arose from the bed to take off her currently worn articles of clothing while walking toward the bag. She took a seat next to the desk, pulling her bag closer and open to find a newer and sillier pair of socks. 

She decided to leave on the bra and panties she had been wearing for today, but she found a starry pair of socks, that she quickly threw on, a blue sleeveless turtleneck that fell over the white pair of shorts and grabbed at a black pair of knee high combat boots that completed the look. She leaned back in the plush chair, appreciating how she sank in the seat. She’d have to replace all of the chairs in Wutai with these. She felt a bit of discomfort in her lower back, but reaching back found an unnecessary lump she pulled out from behind her. It was a heart shaped pillow. She didn’t even notice it before sitting down. It must have blended in with the soft blue stripes of the chair. She threw it over to the bed. She had no problem adding another pillow to the bed, but didn’t understand the necessity of throwing a pillow in a chair. Maybe she’d have to look into what her own interior decoraters would say about-

A sudden noise sprung from the first floor, dragging Yuffie from her thoughts to focus on the metallic crashing followed by indistinguishable yells and a loud laugh, presumably Cid or Barret, maybe both. She jumped to her feet and went to the door to peek her head out for the confrontation. She didn’t see anyone coming down the hall to inspect the situation, so she ducked out of her room, closing the door on her way out, to see what had happened. She walked down the hall, turned the corner, continued down the stairs, but no one was in the entryway, a glance to the door showing a closed sign hanging from the door. She passed through, moving around the counter to see all her friends, excluding one broody gunslinger, dealing with a mess. It seemed Tifa had been cooking and making a meal for the group, but dropped a few of the dishes before they were ready to serve, coating the kitchen floor with sauces and entrees splattering out of their pots.

Shera was furiously apologizing, though, she didn’t seem to be the culprit. She had been splattered by the food, probably a victim of circumstance. The only friend that she did not see, besides her favorite caped crusader, was Red, also noticing Marlene and Denzel had been absent. However, they peeked their heads up every now and again behind the island counter, the mess spreading over there as well, to apologize to Tifa. Yuffie relaxed, going to lean back against the wall behind her, but unexpectedly found a body behind her. She let out a shriek, jumping away and turning around to see the very vamp she was looking for. In barely a moment, everyone had turned their gaze to Yuffie and Vincent.   
“Holy shit! How long have you been there?!” Yuffie gave him a scowl, but he just raised and eye and softly smiled back at her.

“You should have been paying attention.” He looked back up at their friends. Yuffie flushed, realizing all eyes were on them. Vincent had played the whole thing off like a champ and she just felt like an idiot. She thought about running, as this was the worst possible way to run into him after all this time. The flush spread further from her cheeks to slowly engulf the rest of her face, and she felt her brain close in. The room was quiet. She was looking at him, while he simply looked at the friends staring her down. She noticed even Red had popped out from behind the other side of the island, pausing his help at cleaning. She felt the world close in. She darted her eyes from Vincent to each of her friends, and her only instinct left in her told her to run before she crumbled under the embarrassment.

“I.. I’m so sorry, Vince” She quickly stammered to him before hightailing it back to her room. She was around the entryway and up the stairs in an instant. She opened and slammed the door shut barely a second later. She was breathing heavily, felt the heat in her face, and the guilt and sadness started seeping in. She spiraled. All she could do was sit against her door and let her emotions out in the comfort of her room, even though it wasn’t her room. She was acting so weird. She wasn’t being herself at all. All she could do was let the tears flow until there weren’t any left. Occasionally, she heard footsteps climb up the stairs and heard doors open and shut up and down the hall. She held a sob in until each of them passed and went in their own rooms. Thankfully, the only room to the right of hers happened to be a storage closet. She was unsure of who was supposed to be sleeping in the room to the left. She tried to pay attention, making a mental map of who entered which room. Once she had let it all out, she stood and wearily trekked into the bathroom to her right. She turned to the left, facing the mirror to assess the damage. 

She pursed her lips, noticing the red puffiness around her eye, nose, and mouth. She turned on the faucet below her and tried to clear her face a bit with some warm water from the sink, but it wasn’t going to help too much. She looked at herself, stared at each line and curve across her face and body. Maybe she wouldn’t ever be able to face him. She thought of all the embarrassing things she done. She’d tried to call him and text him all the time. She probably drove him up the wall. She wanted to have a mature friendship with him, thinking she had grown up in the time with her father, but that hadn’t been the case at all. She just grew different. The upward momentum her friends seemed to have achieved in their time out of planet saving had made them all into the well-meaning adults. Even Vincent can smile and joke more than he used to after everything with Deepground. She… she just sidestepped. 

Maybe she should’ve spent more time training with her father before coming back. She debated whether to call him. She didn’t want to check her phone. She could see him in her mind, the texts asking how she is, telling her it was a poor decision to come here before she took the throne. Good golly gosh. Maybe he was right. She turned off the faucet, and left the bathroom to go back to the bed, grabbing at her phone and sitting on the side of it once again. She saw the small light flickering, indicating missed notifications and she was scared. She clicked it on and in an instant the screen flooded with missed calls and messages from her father and some from the other members of the Pagoda.

More guilt washed over her. She felt like she was draining in expectations she couldn’t live up to and regret for leaving her country when they needed her. She was being selfish. But leaving now after her friends saw her left her feeling selfish too. There wasn’t a right answer. She was pulled in both directions. Overwhelmed, a few more tears escaped. This was a lot of pressure. Disappearing isn’t an option. What will happen to Wutai? She’s the only heir. She can’t just leave her country behind. She wishes she could. She wishes she could just stop everything. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t breath. The tears choked out of her. Her body so overcome that her body just shivered and convulsed as the pressure pushed her to her limits. She laid back on her bed, hoping it would pass. She tried making herself as quiet and small as she could, tucking her legs to her chest. She could barely breathe.

She heard someone climbing the stairs in her silence. She heard steps to her door. She heard knocking. “Yuffie? Is everything all right? Dinner is ready. You should come down and eat with us.” Tifa sounded concerned, worried because of Yuffie. “Everyone is waiting downstairs for you, we didn’t want to eat without you…” When did everyone leave their rooms? She listened for them, didn’t she? It could have been when she was in the bathroom or when the panic started setting in. She felt like she couldn’t move. She took a moment to clear her throat. “Yuffie?” 

“I’m fine, Tifa! You guys can eat. I’ll be down later.” She felt her voice crack at the end. She took a moment to clear her voice again.

“Are you sure? We don’t want you to feel left out, Yuffie. We’re really glad you’re here.” Yuffie could hear the worry in here, but she’d be all right. She just had to let it out and could move on. It’s fine. She was fine. She lifted her head to reply

“No, no, Tifa. It’s cool. I just need some time to myself.” She dropped her face back into the super lame heart pillow. She felt herself calming down. Sometimes people knocking you out of your mind can be enough to make you feel better. 

“Okay, Yuffie, please join us as soon as you can, okay?” 

“Okay, Tifa…” Yuffie smiled into the pillow, “... thank you, Tifa.”

She heard Tifa step away from the door and walked back down the stairs. It was oddly silent. The group, typically, was always chatty at dinner together during their adventures. There was an eerie silence now. She felt like she ruined dinner. She felt heat burn her throat, threatening to make her cry, but she did her best to swallow it back and allowed herself to breathe again.  
She laid on her bed like that for a while. She didn’t want to move. She figured she would wait for most of the group to head to their own rooms before leaving her own. The warm light sunk into darkness like she had been. She could see a few stars light the skies out the room’s window. She noticed some of the fluorescent light began to peek in to her room. She waited for the heat to totally dissipate in her before deciding that she should move. Hunger hit her again, demanding to be heard and obeyed, convincing her to attempt another try at dinner. She was just going to get some leftovers. She just needed to pick at something and she’d be fine.

She slowly sat up on the bed, grabbing the phone that sent her spiraling moments ago and hooking it back in to the charging cable, resting it on the nightstand. She took her time positioning herself back at the edge of the bed. She was afraid of a headache hitting her if she moved too quickly. She tried not to think about whether her friends were all still downstairs waiting to stare her down again. She didn’t want to leave the room. She didn’t want to be laughed at and she didn’t want her friends to feel bad. She just wanted to not think so much and have a good time like they did so long ago, but she doesn’t know if it ever will be that way again.

She stood, looking around the room to assess the state it was in. Or, if Tifa had come in when she hadn’t noticed, but Tifa wasn’t pushy or tough on her. Yuffie had always appreciated how Tifa gave her time and support. And, Yuffie didn’t know if she had wanted Tifa to come in earlier. She missed being patted or hugged when she cried. She thought about her mother. 

 

She had to move. She walked to the door, looking above it at a small clock indicating the time at 9:33pm. She figured that it made sense. It was that perfect time to sneak around. Hopefully, most of her friends were already asleep or getting ready for it. She was afraid she would find everyone huddled around her door for an intervention, but turning the knob and opening the door just led to an empty hall on either side of the door. Is it bad that she wanted that? She wanted a gesture of caring and adoration? She left her room, attempting to silently shut the door and tiptoe downstairs. 

She hid behind the corner of the stairwell, peeking around to make sure the coast was clear before heading downstairs. She looked to the front door, noticing the closed sign still hanging there. No one had been at the counter and it seemed that the sitting area had been cleared out and the kitchen and dining area had already been cleaned. She took a sigh of relief before relaxing and walking to the fridge. She saw some mashed potatoes and some cooked chicken, a few different gravies, some dessert pudding in the back and a couple other bits and bobs. She opted for a mix and match of a little bit of this and that. She was glad to be here during the yearly meet up, otherwise there might not have been a stocked fridge waiting for her.

She pulled a few tupperwares out of the fridge and placed them on the counter before looking for a plate and some utensils. It seemed that someone had done the dishes, leaving everything easy to grab from the dish rack. She pulled a plate and fork from the rack and decided to try a little bit of everything available. Put all sorts of options on the plate with big scoops and drizzled in gravy. She threw it in the microwave to cook while she put the tupperwares away. She leaned against the counter while she waited. With about a minute left, she decided to grab a glass of water to complete her meal. She ended up being a second to late in grabbing her plate, leading to loud beeps ringing through the kitchen. She really hoped no one had been woken up from that.

She sat at the island and looked over her spread. She wanted to enjoy it. She wanted to try to eat with everyone again tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow would be better. It might even be easier. She’ll try to talk to Vincent before so she won’t be startled by how quietly he lurks around anywhere he is. She took a bite, slowly chewing and swallowing. She grabbed her glass of water and took a sip before continuing. She heard some steps coming from the stairway. She looked back and saw Vincent poking his head around the doorway to the kitchen. He seemed a little stunned to see her up this late. 

“Good evening, Yuffie.”

“Good night, Vincent.”

He hesitated for a moment, it looked like he had been debating something. “Are you… okay?”

She felt alarmed. How was she supposed to respond to that? Maybe she should just blow it off. Nothing happened earlier. Play it cool.

“Oh, me? Yeah, I’m totally fine!” She smiled back at him, dropping it as she looked back down at her food. 

“I’m glad to see you eating… It was… quiet... at dinner… without you.” He chose his words carefully. She appreciated it. Maybe he had heard her. Crying. Like a crazy person. He didn’t think it was because of him, did he?

“Hey, Vincent! Nothing to worry about. I’m fine. I’m eating. Everything is great!” She spoke quickly, hoping he would drop his worry. Since when did he worry about her. None of them had really worried about her in the last two years. Unless. She hoped this wasn’t about not calling him or anyone else from the group in like two years. That is a totally valid reason to be upset with me. Upset? Worried? 

“Yuffie…”, He sat next to her at the island, watching her as she ate. “I’m… surprised to see you here… at the meetup, I mean.”

She looked to him, frowning slightly. “I’m sorry.” She didn’t know what else to say to him. She doesn’t really have an excuse for her disappearance. She was working with her dad, but maybe she could have come to the meetups if she had asked Godo about it. She realized she’d never asked. She was doing what was right for Wutai, right? Helping everyone… She talked like she was in charge, but she still wasn’t. “I want to say Wutai needed me, but I don’t know if that’s totally true. “

He nodded, “Please continue to eat…” he nodded down at her odd combo of everything, taking another forkful and raising it to her mouth. “ I don’t know much about your role in Wutai, but, hopefully, you can educate me, though.”

She paused in her chewing, looking back over at him. She took a hard swallow of the half chewed food before responding to him. “I mean, I could do my best to sum it up, but… you can’t really be interested in that, can you? No one asks me about what I do. They just assume I call all the shots.”

He raised his eyebrows at her. “You don’t? I’m surprised you haven’t just taken over Wutai in a dictatorship by now.”

She scoffed, taking another bite and chewing during her response. “Do you really have that low of an opinion about me? Try again, sir. I’m a kind and caring ruler with a heart of gold.”

He smiled. She missed his smile. She responded with a tired smile of her own. 

“It seems like whatever they have you doing out there is preventing you from getting decent sleep.” 

She let out a chortle. “Yeah, and they don’t pay me enough. You save the world how many times and still don’t get a raise.” He chuckled at that. She smiled. She leaned back, taking another gulp of her water before looking back at him, “Are you still helping Reeve?”

“Sometimes, I think I’m ready to live a normal life.”

She held the glass of water in her hands, at the ready for her next sip. “Really? Maybe that’s what I did. I gave into my dad and soon I’ll be in charge of the whole country.”

Vincent leaned onto the island counter, looking at the tile below him. “We were all surprised when you disappeared back to Wutai. We all thought you never wanted to lead.”

She looked at her glass, taking another swig. Her glass of water wouldn’t last another sip. “Yeah? All I’ve ever wanted to do was help Wutai. My father made it clear that I was the only person that could help it in this way, especially if something happens to him.” She thought back to seeing her father hospitalized when she returned to Wutai after he last adventure with Vincent. “He said that, ‘Wutai is lost without leadership’... and as his only heir… this is what I need to do for my people.”

Vincent leaned back, turning to face her before speaking again. “Yuffie, I think what you’re doing is noble and makes sense.” She smiled at him. “I just don’t know if I should be supportive because it doesn’t seem to make sense when it comes to you.”

She couldn’t argue with him. Yuffie from 3 years ago would’ve died trying to find alternate solutions rather than take the throne. But, Yuffie 3 years ago didn’t have to have her dad rushed to the hospital and have a long discussion with doctors about how long he had left. Knowing, at worst, her father might only have 5 years left in him let her conflicted for weeks, but she has to honor her people and her father. She can change things after he passes, but she can’t put him into a position that might take him too soon. Would her mother have been proud of this?  
“It’s something I have to do for my dad.” She took the final swig of her water before pushing the glass aside and turning to him in the chair. “I’m surprised you have an opinion about it, though. I mean, no one else seemed to question it in the two years I’ve been gone.” She felt a bit of resentment settle into the pit of her stomach. It lead her to look around the kitchen for something alcoholic to drink, unfortunately, Cloud and Tifa didn’t seem to have left anything for her to nab. 

The only noise Vincent made was a disgruntled “hnn”. He kept his eyes on her. It looked like he was trying to read her like he could years ago, but she eluded him. She didn’t want to do this with Vincent. She really didn’t want to sound bitter and hurt that no one stuck around or visited her. She knew no one did because it was her decision to make and no one was going to stop her going back to the place, going back to a life, she had hated. Did she… wish someone had? Guilt sprang up again. She knew better than to make these things a big deal. She wasn’t a child anymore. She needed to get a grip. She saw an imagined Godo just behind Vincent, shouting at her to stop being dramatic. She shut her eyes, trying to lose Godo, but he thoughts of what she’d go home to haunted her mind. 

She opened her eyes again, expression softening into remorse at the bitterness she directed to him. “I’m sorry, Vincent. I’m not mad at you or anyone. I’ve just… been going through a lot at home. “

“I figured.” He focused in on her again. “Are you going to be okay, Yuffie?”

“I hope so. It won’t be long until the fate of Wutai falls into my hands. It’ll be sink or swim after that.” She felt like a turtle, retreating into its shell. “Thank you for talking with me, Vincent.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I was looking forward to talking again.” 

“Really?” She perked up in an instant. 

He nodded. “Mmhmm, it's been a long time since the last adventure.”

“Yeah… I miss those days. We were like a power couple in cleaning up messes and helping Reeve. I felt like I was doing some real good for everyone”

“Who knows, maybe we’ll have another adventure soon.” 

“I’m pretty sure dad and the rest of Wutai would be ready to string me up if I snuck away after this.”

“You wouldn’t be able to just escape?”

“Oh no, I definitely would, but we’d just end up going back and forth until someone has an accident or someone has an ‘accident’” She smirked, thinking back to her first adventures before meeting the group.

He chuckled. “I didn’t think you’d have the heart to do that to a fellow Wutain.”

“Vincent, you misunderstand. I’ve done nothing. It was an ‘accident’” She smirked.

He smiled. “Whatever happened to calling me Vince or Vinny?”

“Well… I thought I should be a bit more proper. I am about to lead a country. And… I thought it always irritated you… I don’t… want to bother you, Vincent.” She paused. Maybe it was time to come clean. “I’ve… really been looking forward to seeing you again. I really want to become friends and talk maturely about all sorts of things with you. I was hoping you’d want to actually be friends now that I’ve matured a bit… I hope that isn’t weird…”

He gave a sympathetic smile, “Yuffie, I like you as you are. You don’t need to grow or change to be friends with me.” He leaned against the counter of the island, chin in his palm. “I wouldn’t have worked with you in the WRO if I didn’t want to talk to you.” He chuckled again, “Why would I have worked in a position that gave you a direct line to communicate with me when you wanted if I couldn’t stand you?”

She pursed her lips, everything he was saying making perfect sense and she felt so dumb for not thinking about it like that at first. “Oh my gods…” She flushed, embarrassment making itself known on her cheeks. “I legitimately thought you absolutely hated me!”

She pouted, looking away from him. “And thought the coffin had been nailed after you and no one else said anything about me leaving.”

“Yuffie, why would you be invited to the reunion if no one on the team liked you.”

She wanted to scream. He was right! Unbelievable! Her brain was so stupid! She peeked out of her flushed mess of a self to see him smiling at her. “Okay, that does make sense.” She murmured out as quickly as possible. 

He stood, taking her glass and half eaten plate and placed them in the sink. 

“Why are you taking my stuff?”

“Because you shouldn’t be up late. We have an early day tomorrow.” He turned to face her once again.

“What do you mean?” She scrunched her nose at him.

“Everyone else wanted to go shopping tomorrow, and you should go with them.”

“Since when do you tell me what to do, Vinniiiiiiiie-?” 

“Well, someone has gotta keep the broody ninja in line.”

“Woah, woah, woah,... excuse me? Who the heck are you to call me broody, you vampire.”

“Oh, wow, never heard you say that one before.”

She laughed. Unbelievable. Vincent became a likable guy while she was gone. He smiled at her. Silence slipped in while they smiled back at one another. A minute passed, clearly he was expecting her to make some sort of mood to go back to bed, but she decided she wanted to be bold. 

“Well… If everyone is going to the markets to shop tomorrow, then you should come, too.” Her face burned again. “I mean, with me and we can talk more, but not like… haha, with me? I mean… We could deal with the trip together.”

“Okay.”

She looked at the ground, her eyes widened and she couldn’t let him see her like this. “Yeah?”

“Sure, but I’m not buying you anything.”

She met his eyes again, grinning through the pink coloring her face. “That’s fine! I’ll… uh… meet you in the entryway with everyone else in the morning!”

She hopped out of the chair and ran out of the room, trying to hide back in her room as quickly as possible. Was this a date? No. Vincent probably wouldn’t do dates. We’re hanging out. We’re friends. That’s all. That’s- 

Before she realized what happened, she slipped up the stairs, tripping over her own feet. Of course she would slip up the stairs after something good happened. She gave herself a second to try to lose the gitters she was experiencing and reached her room, opening and shutting the door quickly. She immediately ran to her bag to strip and find some fuzzy pajamas to wear to be. Once clothed, she threw herself in the bed. She thought about the emotional roller coaster she had been on today. She hoped that she wouldn’t feel the same tomorrow. She just want to have a good day. A good day-te with Vincent. It wasn’t a date. It’s a shopping trip. She couldn’t deny her own excitement, but once she settled into the bed, she dozed off without a second thought. 

In the end, today was a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked this. please tell me your thoughts. i have a twitter and tumblr that you can follow in my author bio if you want. 
> 
> have a good day


	4. World for two

She woke up before the light had began rising over Edge. She still felt incredibly groggy. She probably hadn’t gotten enough sleep. She rolled over in the bed, facing the window and noticing the lack of light. She looked at the clock, seeing it was still only 5:30am. She decided to just bite the bullet and wake up. She got out of bed and approached her clothing bag. She quickly undressed and pulled out a basic black bra and a black and grey striped cropped tank top for her upper body,and found some black boxer briefs, clean black capri pants paired with a white belt, some simple white socks and grabbed a pair of laced, white, knee high boots to complete the look of her lower half. She sat back down on her bed, pulling out her phone to see what the temperature was outside. She liked what she was wearing, but she realized that it might not be a bad idea to grab a jacket or hoodie before she left today with her friends. 

She quickly scanned her eyes over her remaining wardrobe and spotted a simple black hoodie with some Wutain flourishes on the front and back. She walked over and snagged it, throwing it on and approaching her window. Maybe ducking out and watching the sunrise wasn’t a bad idea. She opened the window, a cool breeze hitting her in the face before she climbed out of it and reached up for a sloped roof ledge, steadily climbing to the roof. She was able to scale the building without much issue, and pulled herself to the top. She pulled herself up against the roof tile, realizing in an instant that she wouldn’t be watching the sunrise alone. Vincent was sitting not far off from where she climbed over. He seemed to tense from the presence of another joining him, but relaxed upon the realization of who was joining him. 

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” He said to her, raising an eyebrow. He was leaning against an unused stone chimney with a small bit of room for her to squeeze in, if she wanted. He realized she was looking at the space next to him and he scooted over a bit, allowing her to fill the space beside him, but, again, only if she wanted to. 

“Maybe.” Yuffie approached him after gaining a firm footing on the roof’s flooring. She sat down next to him, hugging her knees to her chest. “I think time with my dad just made me too used to early nights and early days.” 

He gave a small chuckle. “I’m surprised. You could have escaped. Probably could’ve hid in the ceiling of a Wutain citizens home.”

She smiled, thinking back to the gang heading to Wutai with her for the first time. She was absolutely wild. She wondered where the happier version of her went. “I’ve already used that tactic one too many times, Vince. My father knows all my tricks too well.” 

“I could imagine how surprised he was when you decided to come back and take over.” He looked on toward the sky, light beginning to burn over trees and roofs of homes. 

She fell silent for a moment, looking at the color changing before them with the rising sun. Her father thought it was joke when she decided to stay. He ignored her for three days. Eventually, it began setting in how serious she had become about leadership and the relationship between them changed drastically. She hadn’t felt a coldness between them this strong since her mother had passed. He isolated himself during that time. This time they were close. He watched her every move and pointed out any and everything she did wrong. She did hate it, at first, but she realized she subjected herself to it. She must not have hated it if she did it to herself. And, besides, it wasn’t for herself, but for her family, and her people, and this was what everyone wanted. It made sense to take one for the team to make sure all the people she cared about where happy. She thought about how hurt her father would have been if he had died before she became serious about ruling. She thought about her mother. Her mother never got the opportunity to see these things before she had to- 

“Yuffie?” She was dragged out of her thoughts by him. She realized she had been staring emptily at the sunrise and looked up at him. He held a look of concern down to her. He seemed to have moved closer to her, barely a few inches between them. 

“Oh? Sorry, Vinnie.” She blushed, realizing the lack of distance between them and turning her gaze toward to floor. She was glad the sun was rising or the color in her cheeks might have been more easily seen. 

He paused. He was still looking down at her when he spoke again, “Is everything okay, Yuffie?”

She nodded, looking onward again, hopefully he would stop looking at her if she just tried to calm down and look at the sunrise. She realized she missed a portion of it while stuck in her thoughts and felt a bit disappointed. “Yeah.”

“Are you going to be okay today?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” 

“Thank you for asking, though, Vince.” She realized how tense she had become. She felt like a porcupine just trying to protect itself. Was she always this defensive?

“Of course, Yuffie.”

They watched for another few minutes in silence. She stretched her legs out, trying to relax as much as she could. Maybe he’d get the message. Another few minutes passed and she felt a bit of confidence well within her, allowing her to break the silence between them. 

“So, Vinnie,...” She started, looking back up to him, fiddling with her fingers on her lap. 

“Yes, Yuffie?” He looked back down at her. 

“Would do you do now after everything with Chaos?”

He smiled. “Well, I just do odd jobs for Reeve mostly. Sometimes, I’ll help Cloud and Shelke. I’m taking things one day at a time.” He moved, crossing his legs and facing her. She did the same, letting one leg extend beside him, though.

“Really?” She smiled back. “That doesn’t sound so bad.” She assumed he would mention Lucrecia at all in the interactions they had, but he hadn’t said anything yet. She wondered if she should ask him about her and if he was really done going to see her after everything. She really just wanted to enjoy the moments they had like this, though. 

“Yeah. Reeve seems to be able to handle most things by himself. He seemed to have a hard time continuing sometimes after you left.” He chuckled. “Apparently, it’s not easy to replace someone as experienced in espionage as the ‘Great Ninja Yuffie’.” 

She grinned, “I am one of a kind.”

He nodded, “So he decided to put a hold on the position until you are interested in returning.” 

She raised a brow at that. She told Reeve that she was done for good, right? “I thought I told him I was getting out to the game for good. Gotta take over for my old man.”

“I think he believes otherwise.”

She huffs. She can’t really argue with it, though. Reeve probably just thought she was sticking around until her dad passed, but she really wanted to commit to her people and to what her family set out for her. She was so stubborn when she was younger, trying to evade leading, but now she was even more stubborn about taking the throne. She felt incredibly confused at her own twisting feelings. She wanted to pull apart all the pieces of her feelings and realign them all. She got lost in it.

“Yuffie…” He noticed her sinking, slowly.

She looked to him, pursing her lips together at her mixed bag of feelings. “Sometimes, I don’t know if I ever want to go back and help Reeve. Or, if I want to go back to Wutai. I feel like I’ve gotten in too deep into things, Vince…” She felt confusion and sadness bubbling in her throat. 

She saw his eyes. Maybe it was pity he was reflecting back at her. Understanding? Maybe he was just confused about these feelings in her. She felt her walls coming back up, shielded by spines and shells she could hide behind. She saw herself sinking, and stopped it as quickly as she could. She felt so embarrassed from this. She hid her face in her hands, trying to use any kind of pressure to hold back tears and her feelings. She felt bad for him and herself. It wasn’t so bad when she could cry or be sad on her own, but it was different in front of her friends. 

She felt his hand on her shoulder, “Yuffie…” She couldn’t look at him. She wanted to see if he was irritated or frustrated or annoyed or just upset from her. She didn’t know what the best case scenario would be, though. She just wanted so desperately to let it all out to someone that didn’t already have a ton on their own plate. She couldn’t do it to Tifa or Cloud or her other friends and there wasn’t a single person she could talk to in Wutai. 

But, did she have to do this with Vincent? She thought about him, focusing on his contact with her. She felt his hand move down her arm and rested against his leg, his hand stopping at her elbow. She appreciated the contact, though. He didn’t move, again, once his hand settled. Her breathing and emotions settled after a few minutes. She was afraid to face him. Her hands just held her face and she didn’t want to look up at him. 

A moment passed before either spoke. “Yuffie…” He moved his hand to cup around hers. She felt his warmth and how it calmed her. She thought back to when he saved her from Nero. How he held her and she felt so safe. She had been so happy. She was so sad now. Sad all the time. It made her feel awful. His other hand cupped around her other hand. “Look at me, Yuffie.” 

She felt a terrible heat in her face and throat at his words. Gods, she was in love with him. He could be so warm. She thought about his voice and his eyes and how he looked at her and saw her and her mind swarmed with him. He began to gently tug her hands away from her face. 

“I can’t help, if you don’t tell me how to, Yuffie.” He spoke to her so gently. She wondered how long it had been since she heard him speak like this. The last time was in moments she had been waiting for him to leave Lucrecia’s cave. She quietly entered, hearing him still gently whispering sweet nothings to her like he was talking to a dear lover. It made her think about what love was and if that’s what it felt like. She took a few breaths to steady her mind before looking up at him. 

He was softly smiling to her as he guided her out of the maze of thoughts she couldn’t seem to control. It was comforting. She felt so tired after it all. All she wanted to do was keep her eyes on him, the person who could save her from her darkness. She felt like the moment wasn’t real. She felt like this wasn’t Vincent. This wasn’t the person she knew, right? He seemed so open. Her brain wasn’t able to figure out when everything had changed, but she couldn’t deny who was sitting in front of her. 

He kept hold of her hands, realizing she might not have been in the best place to leave her alone. He stood, pulling her up with him. “Yuffie, are you still okay to go shopping with our friends today?” She realized how much brighter the world was after his question. The sun had risen and people were starting their days on the streets below them. She smiled, watching children run off to school and people on the way to their jobs. He let her have a moment to see the world around her before expecting a response. 

“Yeah... “ She smiled back at him. “I think I’ll be okay today.” 

He smiled back, deciding it might just be for the best to let her hold his hand until she’s feeling better. “Do you want to say good morning to everyone?” 

She nodded, pulling him by the hand to the ledge of the roof. She didn’t want to let go of his hand. It was the thing that grounded her right now. She felt better feeling someone in her corner. Vincent just followed after her. “Hey, Vince?” 

“Yes, Yuffie?” She looked back at him and saw he had already been looking at her. She felt like they were in a separate world. 

“How did you get up here?” 

“I jumped.” 

“Well, that does make more sense.” She wondered if they would be able to jump together. She didn’t want to acknowledge them holding hands. She was afraid he would pull away or leave if she left go or talked about it. She just wanted to feel comfortable and content for a bit. “Do you think I’d be able to make it to another building without busting my ass?”

He chuckled, “I have an easier solution.” He wrapped his free arm around her waist and moved his held hand from hers to pick her up and hold her bridal style. He jumped over the ledge without another thought, scaring the heck out of the ninja he was holding. He landed at the entrance of the Seventh Heaven, attracting the attention of their friends who had been waiting for them inside to go shopping. 

He placed her down beside him, cracking the door open to speak to their friends. “Delivery.”

Tifa and Cloud started cracking up at that. They were definitely getting old if postage jokes were getting them. Yuffie did see a smile amused smile on Shelke, though, making her smile as well. She realized that she and Vincent had been holding hands again. “You guys better hurry up or I’m shipping myself back to Wutai!” She shouted to her friends. 

Vincent smiled, letting Yuffie pull him again. She was headed in the direction of the square. It seemed like the group picked the perfect time to go out as this weekend had a bunch of sidewalk sales going. The gang broke into small groups to case the whole joint. Yuffie and Vincent stuck together through all of her sneaking around to find the best deals. He hadn’t said much, but he let her enjoy having company, just wanting to be supportive in the best way he could. Yuffie and Shelke met up here and there to strategize and talk about the deals they saw. 

Tifa and Cloud focused on letting Denzel have a good time, accompanied by Marlene and Barret, who hung around Tifa and Cloud throughout the adventure. Yuffie noticed Cid and Shera being joined by a new model of Cait Sith riding on the back of Red. She was kind of glad she didn’t have to see Reeve face-to-face. She thought about how abruptly she had left, cutting off contact out of fear he’d try to talk her out of returning to Wutai permanently. She started to feel ill, swarmed by thoughts of how it left him feeling, if he was disappointed, and if she had made the right decision. It was one thing to be off in Wutai distracted by leadership tasks, but seeing a representative of him, here and now, made her uneasy. She didn’t mean to leave everyone behind so suddenly. 

She tried to refocus herself on enjoying the day, but the wind was knocked out of her sails. She lost her smile as the day went on. The nausea rose to her throat, threatening to expel itself if she let her guard down. Vincent noticed something was off. She walked slower, talked less, and would stare off into space. She led him to cement siding of the meteor monument at the center of town. She just wanted to sit down for a second. Maybe she was pushing it too much. Did she need a nap? Why was one thought enough to halt her enjoyment of everything? She felt burning in her face. She realized the nausea and thoughts made her start tearing up. She sat, hunching over her cross legged lap, elbows perched on her knees and hiding behind her hands again. She just needed to calm down. Not much had been said between the two of them after Yuffie’s last meet up with Shelke. He sat beside her. It seemed like he was just giving her time. Maybe he was waiting for her to speak? She wasn’t ready quite yet. 

A few minutes passed and he placed and arm behind her, not touching her, but trying to give her some shielded comfort, without any pressure or expectation. She just kept at some slow, deep breaths until the nausea and discomfort went away. She felt like she ruined the whole morning for him or everybody if they noticed. No one approached them while she steadied herself. She was afraid to look up and see concern on her friend’s faces. Gods forbid she worry anyone. Vincent seemed to stick by her, though. He didn’t move again. He still didn’t speak. 

She opened her mouth to speak, hoping he’d hear her whispered request. She realized her hands were muffling her speech, and moved them away from her mouth to put a shaky palm on his knee to gain his attention. He leaned forward, listening for her voice. He spoke softly to her and brought the hand behind her to rest on her shoulder on the side opposite him, wrapping an arm around to bring her in, trying to bring her out of the sad trance she fell back into so suddenly. “Yuffie? … Tell me what you need help with.” 

She felt so comforted by his presence. “Vinnie?”

“Yes?”

“I know you said you wouldn’t buy me anything, but could you go get me something to eat and a water.” 

He smiled, “Don’t worry, Yuffie.”

She didn’t care about what it was, but she was hoping that a comfort food would pick her up enough to be able to continue the day. “Thank you, Vinnie.”

He stood, walking towards the closest food stall and examined the available foods to purchase for her. She lifted her head enough to watch him walk away. She felt the world get colder when he walked off. She pulled up the hood of her hoodie and pulled at the strings to try and keep some warmth in while she waited. Watching him was enough to help calm her. He just continued in the world, stone-faced and antisocial. She wondered if he saw her as fragile. Maybe that’s why he was being so kind. She didn’t want to read too much into it, but she couldn’t help replaying the good moments they had in the past and comparing them to his actions in the last 24 hours. She tried to scan the memories for warmth comparable to now and it just left her confused.  
The whole thing just made her uneasy. She couldn’t help capitulating to his kindness, though. She hadn’t experienced warmth like this from anyone and it made her feel maybe even what Vincent had felt for Lucrecia. Maybe that wasn’t a happy thought. Her thoughts were like puzzle pieces that didn’t always fit together and she had no control over the shapes they took. She pulled out the next thought piece and it seemed like it had been from a totally puzzle entirely. 

She scrapped the thought. She tried to refocus her thoughts when she saw Vincent returning, 2 corn dogs in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. She smiled. She really hoped she was about to see Vincent Valentine eat a county fair corn dog. She couldn’t help letting out a giggle at the thought, bringing a smile to Vincent’s face. “Feeling any better?”

“A bit. I’m just glad you were willing to go back on your promise not to buy me anything.”

He sat beside her, placing the water between them and handing over her corn dog. “I believe that purchasing food for one half of our ‘power couple’ is different than losing my hard earned money to buy you odd bobbles.”

Her eyes widened at his use of ‘power couple’, wondering if he really understood the implications of it. Well. It was one thing if she had used it because she was generally supposed to be a casual person, but hearing Vincent say it… Okay. There is no way he wouldn’t understand, right? He’s taken time in the last 2 years to become a modern man, right? She tried to ditch that whole train of thought as quickly as she had to the power to. She took a bit of the corn dog, hoping it would be enough to distract her. 

He was smiling, taking large bites out of his own corn dog. She paused during her chewing, watching him out of the corner of her eye. There was some comedy gold in him eating a corn dog, but mixing that with her previous train of thought made her… uncomfortable? She was feeling a lot of emotions about a lot of different things. Watching him made her realize just how much she might of missed in the time she was in Wutai. He was eating it without hesitation or even a second thought. She looked away, focusing on eating her own corn dog to dispel the questions that were building in her mind. 

He opened the bottled water, unscrewing the cap and leaning it towards her. “Are you drinking enough water? I imagine you haven’t paid much attention to your health in your constant training.” She wanted to turn it down, mostly because she didn’t 100% love the idea that she might need his help to relax or get back to health, but gave in after realizing her throat had been a bit dry after eating. She grabbed the bottle from him and took a good swig of it, handing it back to him after she had finished. She leaned back a bit, turning to relax while close to him. He took a drink of it as well, not even phased about her germs or cooties sipping before him. It made her think of children teasing about ‘indirect kisses’ and she brushed the thought away. It was a bit childish to make a big deal out of it. She should just relax and enjoy this. 

They both were happy, or close enough to it that Yuffie was feeling content again. “Vinnie?” She spoke, watching vendors serve children and parents across the pavement stretching before them. 

He turned his attention to her, “Yes, Yuffie?”

She didn’t know what she wanted. She didn’t know what to say. It iust felt good to hear a response. Something simple is enough at a moment like this. She thought for a moment as to what she could say to not make it seem like she was just messing with him. She looked around them, trying to figure out where they could go next, but she, honestly, just wanted to return to the bar without everyone. She just wanted a relaxing and quiet walk back with Vincent and only Vincent. “Are you okay with heading back to the bar with me?”

“Okay. “ He stood, holding his hand out to her. She took it without another thought, letting him pull her up. She still had a bit of corndog left, but he had eaten all of his. He picked up the water that had been sitting beside her, moving the corn dog stick between his fingers. She pulled him to the trash and finished her own corn dog while he threw his stick away. It didn’t take her long to scarf down what was left and ask for the water again to wash it down. She threw away her own corn dog stick and gave the water back to Vincent to hold onto.

And with that, they walked together back to the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mental illness isnt great


End file.
